The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-24
N. q. Times-Democrat.


Thomas w. Knox, in a recent issue of
the Forum, has been casting a prophetic
eye toward the day when there shall be
standing room only upon our globe
which had, in 1873 a tritling population
of ,439, 0O0.0 900, with an estimated in
crease of two hundred and eleven mil
lions in ten years.
The population of the United States
alone, which stood Mt 4 200, 900 i'm 1870,
has been multiplied by twelve during
ninety years. This is due partly to inn
migration and the accession of new ter
ritory; but largely to natural increase
In spite of the constant stream of emf
grafton, England, Scotland, Wales, and
most of the countries of Europe show a
decided growth of population as the
years pass. Even i'm France, though the
number of its inhabitants suffered n de-
cline of nearly 2,OOO,0O0 between 1866
and 1872, the average annual number of
births Is 25O,OcO more than the deaths
Belgium enjoys the distinction of being
one of the most densely peopled regions
in the world, having ISL inhabitants to
the square mile; while Java, not far out
stripped, has :,9S to the square mile. I'm
TIL the Dutch occupation of this island,
the natives had been divided into hostile
tribes, and, during their little skirmishes
were in the habit of INDUCING in an i'm
partial butchery of men, women and
children. The Dutch rule, however, en-
forced peace and industry upon them
hence this over-pOpulation.
After overwhelming us with such a
cloud of statistics, Mr.. Knox has no con-
ISOLATION to offer. We have little hope of
relief. he says, from the thinning powers
Of contagious diseases, for their ravages
have been brought under certain con-
troll by medical and chemical science.
n long continued peace has succeeded
the wholesale slaughter of war and
rapid transit has made it possible to con-
vey food rapidly to famine-stricken
lands, however distant, thus preventing
thousands from dying of starvation, as
would have happened in the good old
days.
Unchecked population, says Nautilus,
increases in geometrical ratio, while
food can only be made to increase in
arithmetical ratio; therefore, population
must be checked. blessed is he that
hath his culver full" Aye. for i'm those
days they Were as arrows barbed and
death-dealing, swift to fly through the
air. and keen to bury themselves in the
flesh of the enemy. While tribe battled
against tribe they had no labor-saving
appliances to facilitate their war-mak-
ing. Their safety lay in numbers, and
they had need of goodly sons with arms
strong to bend the bow. But man has
ceased his predatory habits In the
midst of the increasing needs of civiliza-
ton he is perhaps beginning to realize
that it is better to say, ''One-but a
lion, than to see around him a dozen
ill-clad, ill-nourished, ill-trained crea-
lures to whom the heavily weighted
earth must afford living.
There is something tremendous in the
thought of this teeming life-this I'M
quenchable vital spark. Reflect upon
the death traps set about the feet of men.
However mitigated, plague, pestilence
and famine continue their Malthusian
work from year to year. There are tor
nadoes, floods, earthquakes, destruction
by fire, wrecks Mt sea, the constant crash
ing of railroad disasters, and the host of
those smaller accidents which are con-
tinually cutting short the thread of ex-
istence. And then reflect that the alb
sence of the thousands thus swept away
is no more perceptible than if you should
lift one grain of sand from the far reach
ing shOre-one drop of water from the
inexhaustible ocean.
Mr.. Knox is unable to take a hopeful
view of the situation. Since we can no
longer depend upon the assistance of the
benefcent plague, and since war and
famine refuse that active cooperation
which they offered of old, in the removal
of the surplus population, he closes his
statements with the remark: Setting
aside the sentimental and moral aspects
of the subject, it may well be questioned
whether the labors of the Humanitarian
or the fruits of science have been for the
real benefits of the race